The Wolf and the Kitsune
by Sabertooth Kitty
Summary: While continuing their quest for Paradise, the packs runs into an unusual character. Her name is Mine (Mee-Nay), a fox with the same human-shifting capabilities as they do. She also has a strange affection for Toboe... what could all this mean? (TOBOExOC)
1. Part I

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The Wolf and the Kitsune

Rated PG for mild sensuality and violence

I do not own any character from _Wolf's Rain_ already copyrighted to _BONES_. Mine (pronounced Mee-Nay) is my character, and should not be used without my written consent.

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_Author's Notes:_ My first attempt at a _Wolf's Rain _fanfic. Oh, joy…

As a quick intro, let me just say that my favorite character so far is Toboe. He's such a sweet pup, and I'm getting kinda ticked off at how the others treat him (especially Tsume). No offense- I like Hige and Kiba, since they're both pretty good friends with Toboe and the rest of their pack. Tsume, however… well, he looks handsome, but that's the only good quality I can find in him.

Anyway, about the story… I knew I wanted to write something about Toboe, and only until recently have I come up with this idea. I know this would be going against the "sacred rules" of the _Wolf's Rain_ world, but just out of curiosity- what if the wolves weren't the only creatures looking for Paradise?

* * *

Four wolves and a girl slowly made their way through a huge dense forest. It was a cold, dark, damp morning; it had rained the night before, and naturally everything was soaking wet and freezing.

A bushy white wolf stayed at the head of the group, followed closely by a dark gray wolf with an X-shaped scar on its chest and the girl. Not too far behind them was a sandy-colored wolf with a black collar, and hustling along at the end of the group was a smaller brown wolf with a set of silver rings around his right front leg.

Looks were often very deceiving, though. If anyone were to actually take a closer look, they might see an ordinary group of humans. The white wolf, Kiba, actually had bushy black hair and comfortable clothes. He gave off a very defensive front, especially considering his situation.

The girl, strangely enough, was just as deceiving. Her name was Cheza, or otherwise known as the flower maiden. The clean pastel colors of her attire and distinct flowery scent denoted that title- not only was she as delicate as a flower, she was **literally** a flower in human form. She was vital to the journey these wolves had undertaken.

The gray wolf, Tsume, had short white hair and sported a black leather outfit; he also had the same X-shaped scar on his chest. He was not only defensive but also secretive; why he had stayed with these wolves he had little idea, but nevertheless he went along for the trip.

The sandy wolf, Hige, had curly auburn hair and loose-fitting, comfortable clothing, along with the collar that dangled about his neck. He was the most laid-back wolf of the pack. Among the other concerns the others had, the only other thing on his mind was food.

The brown wolf, Toboe, had combed-back brown hair and wore very conservative (although practical) clothes. He too had his remnant feature- the silver rings around his right arm. He was the shy omega wolf of the pack; he wasn't particularly brave, nor did he purposely launch himself into battle very often. In fact, they even had a nickname for him…

"Hurry up, runt!" Hige yelled back at Toboe. "We haven't got all day here, you know!"

Toboe perked his head up, running after the pack to keep up. "Hey, wait for me!" he cried.

Hige took a quick glance behind him and smirked. "About time you caught up," he murmured. "Stay alert now- Kiba says this is dangerous territory."

To say the least, Toboe was both puzzled and fearful. "Dangerous?" he squeaked.

Tsume, overhearing the conversation, trailed back to the two wolf pups. "Would you two quit dawdling?" he snapped. "Besides, this place isn't dangerous- you just have to keep an eye out."

__

_Doesn't that generally mean that the place you're traveling in is dangerous? _Hige thought, rolling his eyes.

Looking around worriedly, Toboe looked back over at Tsume. "Why do we need to keep an eye out?" he asked.

Suddenly, Tsume stopped for a moment to sniff the air. He paused, then continued walking. "This area we're in," he muttered. "This place is called Kitsune Path."

Of course, Toboe was still quite confused. "Kitsune Path?" he repeated.

"Geez, what are you- a parrot?" Hige teased. "You heard him- Kitsune Path. A lot of kitsunes, or foxes, used to live here ages ago."

The gray wolf shook his head. "How little you know, Hige," he spat. "Not very many kitsunes actually lived here, but they traveled through here in droves. If you wanted to actually find one, chances are this would be the place to come- they never stayed for long, but they did sometimes show themselves to those they thought they could trust… or, those they could fool."

The sandy wolf cocked his head in confusion. "Okay, you lost me," he responded.

With a heavy sigh, Tsume continued his explanation. "Kitsunes are clever creatures, and not one I'd trust for a minute," he replied. "They like to think of other creatures as puppets for their little games, for their own sick amusement. You could never trust a kitsune- chances are, they'd turn their back on you in a heartbeat."

The young brown wolf, now calmed down a little, had another question. "Are they still around?" he inquired.

Hige chuckled a little. "Let's hope not," he remarked. "They say that all the foxes have been wiped out, but then again that's what they've said about wolves." He winked, adding his own sarcastic charm to the topic.

A new voice interrupted the conversation. "Any kitsunes, Tsume!" he called out.

Tsume turned his head to see the white wolf and the flower maiden up ahead. "I can't see any, Kiba, but that scent is still lingering," he answered. "We should keep moving; the sooner we're out of the woods, the better."

As Tsume ran ahead to catch up, Hige turned again to Toboe. "Well, let's go, runt," he said, huffing after the others. "Kiba! Tsume! Cheza! Wait up!!"

Meanwhile, Toboe continued at his usual pace, looking around at the dense forest brush. _I wonder if Hige and Tsume are right, _he pondered. _I mean, I don't see any foxes… yeah, I bet Hige's right- they have to be gone._

Suddenly, a light giggle caught Toboe's attention. He stopped dead in his tracks and slowly looked around. "Hello?" he squeaked. "Hello?"

No reply came to the young brown wolf.

Sighing in relief, Toboe returned to his walk. _I must have been nervous, that's all,_ he thought. _Yeah, I'm just nervous… Tsume has me worked up over nothing…_

Then, the same feminine laughter surprised Toboe again. This time, he became even more wary. "Hello?" he whimpered. "Anyone out there?"

Again, no one answered.

Toboe started walking again, only this time he was watching his surroundings; everywhere he went, he couldn't help but look over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. _What if Tsume's right? What if there are still kitsunes out there? What if-_

"Hi!"

Screaming in shock, Toboe fell to the ground. He scrambled to get up, until he saw something quite unusual- it was a young girl, about his age, straddling a low-hanging tree branch. She had bright eyes and wild red hair set up into a pair of bushy pigtails. Her black pants, purple shirt, and dark blue jacket contrasted somewhat with his rust-red polo shirt and baggy dark green pants.

The girl smiled at Toboe. "You're a funny boy, you know that?" she chimed, hopping down from the branch. "I'm Mine. What's your name?"

Although still nervous, the young brown wolf sat up and replied, "I'm Toboe."

Grinning, Mine circled Toboe curiously. "That's a nice name," she commented. "So, what are you, anyway? You're too big to be a fox, and you're too small to be a wolf." She then saw the silver rings on his arm. "Oh… you must be someone's pet dog, I bet!"

That comment slightly annoyed Toboe. "Hey!" he snapped, standing to his feet. "I am a wolf, you know! I'm just a pup… and, so what if I had a few owners?"

Dubious, Mine took Toboe's arm and played a little with the silver rings. "How can you call yourself a wolf if you were once somebody's pet?" she questioned. "It's not like humans like wolves or anything."

The young brown wolf suddenly became more defensive. "Well, I am a wolf, and my humans really loved me," he said in a matter-of-factly way. "I just… I had nowhere else to go, and these other wolves took me in."

Before Mine could retort, a loud shout interrupted her. "Toboe!" Hige called out. "Toboe!"

Surprised, Toboe brushed past Mine and ran ahead. "Hige!" he cried, approaching the sandy wolf. "Come here, Hige! I wanna show you something!"

To say the least, Hige was very curious. "What?" he inquired. "What is it?"

Quickly, Toboe grabbed Hige's arm and sprinted back to where he was. "Over here!" he yelped. "She's over here!"

Needless to say, that didn't help Hige at all. "Who's here?" he queried.

It was then that Toboe realized something- Mine was gone. "But, but, but," he stuttered, "but she was here! Honest! I saw her!"

Hige rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right," he muttered. "Look, you're probably just seeing things- your eyes are playing tricks on you, that's all."

Of course, Toboe was not quite convinced. "But, I'm sure I saw her!" he yipped. "She-"

"Oh, stop it, would you?" Hige snapped. "Come on, runt, let's get going. We don't wanna fall behind."

As Hige ran back ahead, Toboe let his head hang down. _I'm sure I saw someone,_ he thought. _Hallucinations can't be **that** real…_

At that moment, Toboe felt something drop down behind him. "That wolf you call Hige," said a familiar voice, "is he a friend of yours?"

Although he knew who it was, Toboe did not turn around but instead kept walking. "Sort of," he answered. "Hige is one of the members of my pack… but he does treat me like a friend."

A small smile crossed Mine's face. "Oh, now I get it!" she commented, running up beside Toboe. "You must have been abandoned by your family when you were a pup, and these wolves must have taken you in, right?"

Sighing heavily, Toboe stopped and turned around. "For the last time, I **am** a wolf!" he screamed.

A distant voice alerted the young wolf. "Get moving, runt!" Tsume called out.

Shocked at how far he had fallen behind, Toboe ran after the rest of the pack. _Darn it!_ he pondered. _If I hadn't met Mine, I wouldn't have fallen behind like this!_

Despite this, Mine was not about to let the wolf out of her sight. "Don't think you can get rid of me that easily, Toboe!" she chimed, sprinting up next to him. "See? I can run just as fast as you, if not faster!"

To say the least, Toboe was as surprised as he was fearful. Why was Mine chasing him? What did he ever do to her??

Too distracted by his chaser, Toboe accidentally ran into and knocked over his fellow wolf. "Hey!" Hige yelped. "What's the big idea?"

Although surprised, the young brown wolf was thinking of other things. "I saw her, Hige!" he cried, standing and pointing behind him. "I saw her again! She was following me, and-"

Needless to say, Hige was quickly getting tired of this charade. "Okay, come on," he groaned, taking Toboe by the shoulder and pressing him onward. "Let's walk together- maybe now, whoever is supposedly following you won't follow you anymore."

Toboe whined, looking back out of the corner of his eye; once again, Mine was gone. No wonder Hige was so frustrated with him- he really _did_ think that the young wolf was hallucinating!

"Personally, I don't see what you're so worried about," Hige remarked. "Tsume is just overreacting- we're probably all alone here in these woods."

It was then that a pair of hands reached out and touched Toboe and Hige. "Well, now, I wouldn't say that," a shrewd female voice giggled.

His eyes widening with surprise (again), Toboe turned his head around. "Mine!" he squealed.

Of course, Hige was not only surprised but also confused; he turned around, and sure enough there "she" was. "Oh… uh, hello," he greeted warily. "Who… are you?"

Mine smiled. "Funny you should ask," she replied. "My name's Mine, and you must be Hige, one of Toboe's wolf buddies."

Hige nodded uneasily. "Yeah," he answered. "Are you a friend of his or something?"

A sly grin crossed Mine's face. "Oh, not yet," she murmured, inching closer to Toboe's face, "but I hope we can become good friends, **very **soon."

Once more, Tsume could sense that Hige and Toboe were falling behind. "Hey, you two!" he yelled. "Get up here, now! Do you wanna get out of Kitsune Path by nightfall or not??"

Kiba glanced at the gray wolf. "Calm down, Tsume," he commented. "They're coming."

Of course, Tsume was still very on-edge. "This, coming from the one who started us on this ridiculous quest to begin with?" he questioned.

The white wolf snarled a little, but remained reasonably calm. "You are rushing us a bit," he noted. "True, the sooner we get to Paradise the better, but we don't need to force them. We _have_ come a long way, Tsume."

Cheza smiled. She had always been fond of Kiba's head-strength and determination, but also his level-headedness.

Angered, Tsume forcefully turned about. "Fine," he growled. "I'll just see what's going on back there and get them moving again."

__

_Somehow, I don't like where this is going,_ Kiba thought as he and Cheza ran after Tsume.

As Tsume neared the two wolves, Hige and Toboe quickly turned around and took notice of him. They glanced behind them; yet again, Mine disappeared.

The gray wolf approached his brown and sandy companions. "What is taking you?" he hissed.

Both nervous and anxious, Toboe began his explanation. "See, there's this girl," he started, "and she's been following me down the trail. Every time I turn around, though, she disappears! Even Hige didn't believe me until he saw her for himself. You gotta believe me, Tsume- someone else is following us!"

For a moment, Tsume stood there with a doubting expression. He turned to Hige, who nodded in agreement. "Her name is Mine, if that's any hint," he added.

Before Tsume could answer, a strange scent caught his attention. "Wait a minute," he muttered, looking at the brown wolf. "Tell me something, Toboe- what exactly did you see?"

Toboe shrugged. "She was a girl who called herself Mine," he informed. "She never told me what she was, though- I don't think she even called herself human."

Tsume sneered. "I thought so," he murmured, looking around. "So, if this Mine exists, why doesn't she just show herself?"

Suddenly, a low branch tilted downwards, and a smiling face rubbed her nose in Tsume's. "Here I am!" she chimed.

Shocked, Tsume fell to the ground. The others covered their mouths to keep him from seeing their laughter, and after a moment he picked himself up. "So, there you are," he mumbled.

Kiba approached Mine, still hanging upside-down from the tree. "Who are you?" he inquired. "What are you? What are you doing out here? Why are you following us?"

Mine grinned, hopping down from her tree branch. "My name's Mine," she introduced herself, "and I'm a kitsune, but everyone else generally calls me a fox."

Quickly, Tsume stepped closer to Mine, glaring at her. "So you are a kitsune," he growled. "What do you want with us?"

The fox rolled her eyes. "I'm getting to that," she snipped. "Anyway, I'm all the way out here searching for Paradise."

That remark quieted everyone. As far as they knew, only wolves were searching for Paradise. Why would a fox be interested?

Of course, Kiba already knew the answer. "The foxes have their own route to Paradise, which suits them best," he said. "As wolves, we are attracted to the scent of the moon flowers, but moon flowers are only one part of Paradise. There are other parts, which other creatures seek out."

Impressed, Mine nodded. "You must be the alpha wolf around here," she noted. "You seem to know more about Paradise than they do."

Just the same, Tsume still had little reason to trust the fox. "Even if you are telling the truth," he remarked, "you still haven't told us why you're following us."

Again, that sly grin appeared on Mine's face. "Isn't it obvious?" she hinted, trotting over to Toboe. "I was out here on my own path, and your little pal here just happened to catch my eye. We foxes are curious creatures, and since we rarely make friends, I wanted to see if I could find one in this cute little puppy."

Hige understood what exactly Mine was trying to say. "Oh, I get it now," he chuckled, leaning in to Toboe. "Looks like you found yourself a girlfriend, Toboe."

Needless to say, that was surprising news to Toboe. "Me? A girlfriend?" he murmured. "But, but how?"

"I dunno," Hige replied, "but when you find out, tell me how you did it- it's not fair that you and Kiba get all the ladies."

Kiba blushed lightly at that remark. "Yes, well," he muttered, regaining his composure, "let's get moving." He glanced at Mine warmly. "It was nice meeting you, Mine; maybe our paths will cross again someday."

Mine grinned. "Oh, wait a minute," she giggled, hugging Toboe. "Who said I was leaving, anyway?"

Shocked, Toboe pushed himself away from Mine. "Wait a minute!" he yelped. "Don't you wanna find Paradise?"

The fox nodded. "With all my heart," she assured, "but it would be so much better if I had a good friend for the trip…"

Suddenly, the gray wolf attacked the feisty fox. Everywhere the wolf pounced, the fox dodged; that's not to say, however, that the fox escaped undamaged.

Finally, aching and exhausted, the fox trotted off into the wilderness. She had quite a few bleeding spots, and a few tufts of fur were ripped out (including a small chunk from the tail), but otherwise she escaped unharmed. Either way, she would not approach Toboe or anyone else in the pack for a while.

Tsume wiped his mouth off and rubbed his hands together. "Let's get moving," he growled, giving Kiba a quick glare.

After a moment of thought, Kiba ran back to the head of the pack with Cheza close behind. Hige and Toboe eventually caught up, although they barely spoke to each other for the rest of the trek that night.

Toboe found himself in deep thought after that incident. _That fox sure is an interesting one, _he pondered. _I appreciate Tsume stepping in like that, but he didn't need to be so forceful. Besides, it might not matter what any of us says or does- I think Mine just might be sticking around a while…  
_

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End of Part I

Part II in Progress…

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PS- well, what did you think? This is my first _Wolf's Rain_ fanfic, and I wanted to know how well I did for my first try.

For one thing, I wasn't sure if I captured Tsume's character well enough. I know he's supposed to be a cold loner type, but given the circumstances of this chapter do you think Tsume was at least mostly in-character?

Also, remember- this story is about Toboe, and while I do intend to include the rest of the pack in the up-and-coming chapters, but later on there will be at least one or two without them (just so you know).

Well, apart from that, tell me what you think. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. ;) Bye now!


	2. Part II

_**The Wolf and the Kitsune**_

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_Author's Notes:_ Let's open up the mailbag…

**Runa Wanderer**: I hope you read eventually… and I agree with you- Toboe is such a lil cutie!!

**FoxylilRaven**: Thanks for the insight. ;)

**Julia**: I know- I didn't realize it looked so awkward until the grammar corrector pointed it out (_for the record, folks, Mine (meaning the name of my character) is pronounced **"Mee-Nay"**)_.

**FoxDemon**: Kitsunes are cool, aren't they? Another favorite anime character of mine is Shippo from _InuYasha_. He's so adorable!

**Incarnate**: Thanks for the encouragement. J

**AlutheraBadFaith**: Thanks much! I really should contact you…

**Ovni**: So… did I do a good job or not? I'm confused… well, thanks for the review anyway.

**KyoLover44**: Thanks!

**CuteLittleSarah**: I'll do my best. J

**DeadLillies**: See above comment.

**SharkGirl**: See above comment(s).

Thanks to everyone that reviewed! I hope I can continue to provide some good _Wolf's Rain_ fanfic, but for now it's just this story. Enjoy!

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A few days had passed since the wolves first encountered the fox. They were long past Kitsune Path, and were continuing on to a gathering of cliffs and hillsides.

Toboe lagged behind as usual. It wasn't because he was tired, though; since he met Mine, he had been more observant of his surroundings. Somehow, he knew she was there, and yet there was no sign of her anywhere.

Suddenly, a rustling in the nearby bushes alerted the young wolf. He stopped for a moment, curiously eyeing the bush, and out popped a small cream-colored fox. She blinked with her huge blue eyes before dashing back into the brush.

As Toboe went on walking, he pondered what he had just seen. _Was that Mine? _He wondered. _She sure looks a little different than her human form… but those eyes… how come they remind me of her?_

A pair of dainty hands grabbed Toboe by the shoulders and dragged him back. "Hey there," a familiar voice chimed. "Did you miss me?"

Chuckling nervously, Toboe eased himself out of the fox's grasp. "I guess," he replied, continuing after the rest of the pack. "How come you've been hiding, Mine?"

Mine shrugged. "I guess I wanna stay away from that gray wolf in your pack," she admitted. "He's not as agile as I am, but when he attacks he comes down hard."

A small smile crossed Toboe's face. "That's Tsume for you," he remarked. "He was my first wolf friend, even before I met Kiba and Hige. He's rough around the edges, I know, but beyond that he's very protective of us."

It was then that Mine realized something. "Oh, I need to tell you something," she said. "The place you're coming up to is called Falcon's Ridge; it's unstable, so don't make any loud noises or provoke heavy movements."

The thought of danger caught Toboe's attention. Wouldn't have Kiba or Tsume told them this earlier? "How do you know that?" he inquired.

"Take it from someone who knows," Mine responded. "I've heard dozens of stories about how foxes have used Falcon's Ridge to take care of hunters; as soon as the gun goes off, the fox dodges all the falling rocks and gets to safety… though the same can't be said for the hunter…"

Yet again, Hige interrupted the conversation. "Toboe!" he called out.

Quickly, Toboe looked over to Hige, waving his hand in the air. He turned around and saw that Mine had once again disappeared. _Oh well, _he thought, running up to Hige and the others. _At least I know to be careful…_

Once Toboe had caught up with the rest of the pack, Hige gave the young wolf a sidelong glance. "What's going on back there?" he queried.

Toboe looked around; Kiba and Cheza were focused on their route, and Tsume didn't seem to be paying attention to much of anything. "I saw Mine again," he whispered to the sandy wolf.

Hige grinned. "So, your little girlfriend really is following you," he teased. "I gotta admit- she's a persistent one."

Dismissing the comment, Toboe went on. "There's more," he informed. "She said we were coming up to a place called Falcon's Ridge, and it's supposed to be unstable."

"Relax, would you?" Hige groaned. "Cheza wouldn't deliberately lead us into danger. Besides, how can you be sure Mine's not misleading you?"

That thought had not occurred to young Toboe. _He's right,_ he thought. _Cheza is always looking out for us; she wouldn't lead us anywhere where we might be in danger… come to think of it, why is Mine following us? It's not like she has to, and foxes are supposed to have their own route to Paradise, so why is she?_

Then, something caught Toboe's eye. The pack was coming to a fork in the road; one route lead up the hill into a wooded area, and the other route winded along the cliff-side wall.

Cheza looked at both routes carefully. She started going up the hill route, and suddenly she stopped halfway up. After a moment or two, she turned around and headed for the ridge.

Curious, Kiba went up the hill for a closer look. He slipped quietly into the woods, hoping that no one saw him.

The sandy and brown wolves approached the gray wolf. "What's going on?" Toboe asked.

Tsume made no gesture; he kept his gaze towards the wooded hill. "Something's wrong," he commented. "Cheza started going in one direction, but she changed her mind and went the other way. Kiba went in to see what Cheza was worried about."

Toboe wrung his hands together nervously. _I don't like where this is going…_

After a while, the white wolf returned to his pack. "Humans," he reported. "Dozens of them. It looks like a campsite."

Of course, Tsume saw no problem with this. "So, we guise ourselves as humans and sneak through," he reasoned. "Simple."

"Not so," Kiba remarked. "There's more than one campsite up there, and they'll be all over the woods. We would be risking our cover to walk among them- even if none of them figure out what **we** are, there's bound to be one who knows what Cheza is."

Suddenly, Toboe felt very sick to his stomach. _Oh no,_ he wondered. _He's gonna want us to go around the campsite… and, that means…_

Hige sighed heavily. "We're gonna use the ridge path, aren't we?" he guessed.

Tsume nodded. "It doesn't look like we have much of a choice," he muttered.

Cheza was the first to start down the path. She tiptoed along as Kiba followed her steadily. Tsume was close behind, followed by Hige. As usual, Toboe crawled along, only this time with good reason. _I'm not gonna panic,_ he told himself, _I'm not gonna panic… just don't make any loud noises or cause an earth quake and we'll be fine… I'm not gonna panic…_

It didn't take long for the others to notice Toboe's anxiety. Cheza always kept an eye on where she was going, but she would often turn her head back to check on him and see that he was okay. Kiba reacted to Cheza's worry, and would occasionally give him a sidelong look. Tsume was just getting tired of his jittery nervousness when there seemed to be nothing wrong in the first place. Even Hige couldn't help but be concerned, though he already knew why the young wolf was acting that way.

Finally, Hige leaned over and touched Toboe's shoulder. "Relax, you'll be fine," he assured. "Besides, I bet Mine was just trying to scare you."

Toboe considered that thought for a moment. Now he wasn't entirely sure what to think- was Mine actually trying to help, or was she just taunting him? He couldn't be sure either way, which made things all the more difficult.

A few rocks fell from the cliffs above. The sudden noise frightened Toboe, making him cry out and grip the cliff-wall tighter.

With a heavy sigh, Tsume turned around and glared at the young wolf. "Alright," he growled, "what's going on?"

The sandy wolf shook his head. "Toboe's just nervous because that kitsune came back and warned him about this pathway," he explained. "I say it's a trick- kitsunes are always troublesome, and Cheza would never lead us into danger."

Kiba glanced at the other three wolves out of the corner of his eye. "We had two options," he reminded. "While this was the safer of the two, we ought to be careful here. We're on unstable ground."

Of course, Tsume was struck by something else. "You mean to tell me that the kitsune is **still** following us??" he snapped. "I thought I chased her off the last time!" He paused, glaring at Toboe. "The next time I see her, I'll be sure to take care of her personally."

Sighing, Kiba gestured onward. "Let's get moving," he suggested.

Everyone complied and went onward. Toboe was still grasping the cliff wall, but edged his way along and made sure to keep up.

Tsume growled in irritation. _That pup is getting on my nerves,_ he thought, _and that kitsune is really testing my patience…_

Another couple of rocks fell. Frightened, Toboe instead grabbed onto Hige, hoping the sandy wolf would offer him some form of protection… which, certainly, was not the case. "Hey!" Hige shouted, attempting to pry the young wolf off. "What do you think you're doing?? Get off me, runt!"

Angered, Tsume stopped. He picked up one of the fallen rocks and scanned the cliffs above. "There you are," he murmured, throwing the stone towards the higher cliffs.

"Tsume, no!" Toboe screamed.

A loud yelp soon followed, along with the rustling of overgrown bushes. "Just as I thought," Tsume growled. "That kitsune is trying to drive you mad with fear." He glared at Toboe. "Just act natural, Toboe, and we'll all be fine."

At that moment, Kiba turned to them. "We're near the end of the ridge!" he informed. "Come on- let's hurry!"

As the wolves made their way along the cliffside, more rocks began to fall… more than usual. In fact, the flow of stones and small rocks became very steady.

Cheza gasped; she could not see the rocks, but she was certain of the outcome. "We must hurry," she warned. "The cliffs are collapsing!"

Unnerved, the wolves glanced behind them. Larger rocks began to fall, breaking off chunks of the path they were using.

Kiba scowled. "Run!" he cried.

Quickly, the wolves and the girl ran for safety to the other side. Kiba and Cheza managed to get there first, followed closely by Tsume.

However, a huge boulder fell between Hige and Toboe, separating the young wolf from the rest of the pathway. "Hige!" Toboe yelped. "Help!"

Hige spun around. "Jump, Toboe!" he shouted.

Toboe stood there among the falling rocks, paralyzed by fear. "I'm too scared!" he whined.

"You have to!" Hige implored. "It's the only way!"

Worried for his friend, Kiba took a few steps back into the avalanche. "Hige, hurry!" he yelled.

Hesitant, Hige turned his head back and forth, between Kiba and Toboe. He couldn't just leave the poor runt, but he couldn't just stand there either! What could he do?

Suddenly, a familiar figure descended from the cliffs. She grabbed Toboe by the underarms and thrust him onto her back; she then sped past the falling rocks and made it to the other side.

Once Hige trotted over to the others, narrowly escaping the last of the avalanche boulders, the rest of the wolves managed to get a good look at Toboe's savior.

The young wolf gasped in surprise. "Mine?" he inquired.

Mine smiled. "Are you okay, Toboe?" she asked. "Those rocks gave you a nasty shock, I bet."

Defensive, Tsume stepped forward. "You again," he growled. "You are following us, aren't you??"

Smiling, Mine placed Toboe on the ground and jumped up. "Yup," she answered, "and there's not a darn thing you can do about that!"

Tsume tensed up, prepared to attack. "I can think of a few ways," he threatened.

However, Kiba interfered at that moment. "Why are you following us?" he questioned, asking for a better answer this time. "We're wolves, and you're a kitsune. You have your own route to Paradise."

The kitsune sighed. "Look, just let me tag along," she pleaded. "I can help you out with stuff- I'm very good at distracting humans. You could have gone through that campsite if you had let me come with in the first place!"

"We have enough help around here," Tsume snapped. "Go on, get lost. You're nothing but trouble; in case you didn't notice, that avalanche was your fault."

Looking for mercy, Mine approached Cheza. "Please, can I come?" she inquired.

For a moment, Cheza was silent. She wasn't sure of what to think about the kitsune. She seemed friendly enough; she was willing to help, and she did save Toboe…

Cheza turned to Kiba. "This one thinks that she should come along," she responded, glancing at Mine. "This one can tell that she is good."

Frustrated, Tsume groaned and shook his head. "For the love of…" he muttered under his breath.

Excited, Mine picked up Toboe and hugged him. "Oh, this is great!" she cheered. "It's gonna be so much fun with you guys! I can't wait!!"

Kiba smiled a little. "Right," he murmured. "Let's go."

Soon enough, the newly-formed group traveled onward. Kiba and Cheza were still up ahead, but now Tsume was sure to keep a close eye on Toboe and Mine. She may have been a member of the pack now, but as far as he was concerned, she was still a sneaky kitsune.

Toboe felt a bit unnerved as well- since they started, Mine was following him closer than ever. "I can't wait to spend some more time with you, Toboe," she chimed. "We're gonna have so much fun together." She smiled brightly, clutching onto his arm.

Hige chuckled. "Don't you two look cute," he remarked. "Maybe I should jump ahead and leave you two lovebirds alone."

As Hige ran ahead, Toboe gave Mine an awkward sidelong look. She smiled again, holding his arm tighter.

Uneasy, Toboe shook his arm free and ran after Hige. "Wait for me!" he cried.

Mine sighed heavily. "Relax, would ya?" she shouted, following Toboe. "I was just playing around!"

* * *

**End of Part II**

**Part III in Progress…**

**-------------------------------**

PS- well, it's official! Mine is a member of the pack! Lemme know what you think, and don't worry- there will be more. J


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